Pivot assembly for doors



Feb. 26, 1963 P. H. NELSON 3,078,502

PIvo'r ASSEMBLY Fox DooRs Filed March 16. 1960 FIG.|

72 v 70 74 #25 2^? is@ 4 im FIG. 3 50 56 1 Y INVENToR. i Y 9 L4/8- PAUL h! NELSON 6o .t CI-20 5 BY necticut Filed Mar. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 15,410 6 Claims. (Cl. 16-176) The present invention relates to new and improved mounting means for doors and is concerned more particularly with a pivot assembly for mounting a swinging door having many advantages from the standpoint of ease and simplicity of assembly and installation, enhanced operating characteristics, and attractive appearance.

The pivot means of the present invention is intended to be used to mount a door on a pair of pivots one of which forms a pivotal connection between the bottom of the door and the floor or base beneath the door while the other pivot forms a connection to the ceiling or header above the door. The aim of the invention is to provide such pivot means which is simple and easy to fabricate and assemble, which is formed of interchangeable parts for the purpose of simplifying manufacture and reducing the amount of inventory required to be maintained in order to provide for the mounting of either lefthand or righthand doors.

A A further aim of the invention is to provide pivot means which affords a smooth pivoting action for the door, which will retain its effectiveness over long periods of normal usage without undue wear and which will have a high weight carrying capacity even when used with doors of thin cross section.

A further aim is to provide a pivot assembly which is attractive and pleasing in appearance and which is particularly suitable for use with doors of thin cross section.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempliiied in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

in the drawings:

FIG. l is a front view of a door which is pivotally mounted between the oor and ceiling by means of the pivot assembly of the present invention with the door extending across a doorway in a wall which is shown fragmentarily;

HG. 2 is a top view of the door and mounting means with the wall shown in cross section;

FIG, 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the door with the mounting means in vertical cross section; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4 4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, an embodiment of the invention has been shown by way of example for mounting a door 1() which comprises exterior panels 12 and 14 which are bonded or otherwise joined along the side edges in a laminar manner and with the center portion of the door bowed outwardly on both sides as a result of the interior spacing means 16. The door is mounted to extend across a door opening 18 formed in the wall Ztl. The door is pivotally mounted by the pivot means indi-cated generally at 22 and Z4 in accordance with the invention which will be described in more detail later. The pivot means 22 is connected to the ceiling 26 and the pivot means 2d is connected to the oor 28. It will be appreciated from the following description that the pivot means of the present invention may be used to other forms and sizes of doors and also may be used with Patented Feb. 26, 1963 doors including cabinet doors which fit within a door opening.` In the latter case, the pivot means 22 would be connected to the header of the door opening and the pivot means 2d would be connected to the door sill.

The member 3i) is a door handle and the member 32 is a door latch, neither of which are of concern so far as the present invention is concerned and have been included merely for completeness to show the iinished installation of the door.

Each of the pivot assemblies 22 and 24 is formed with identical door mounting members or brackets 34, each being provided with parallel spaced apart side plates 36 and 38 joined by the connecting web 4i). The side plates 36 and 38 are dimensioned for clamping engagement with the side faces of the door with the longer plate 38 extending along the outer face of the door and with the web ad extending about the edge of the door. The bracket 34 may be securely attached to the door by a single screw 4Z which has its head recessed in the plate 38 and which extends through the door for threadable engagement with the rear plate 36. If desired a suitable adhesive may be applied to the mating surfaces of the door edge and bracket 34 but in practice this is found to be not essential since, by reason of Ithe relatively large clamping areas ofthe side plates 36 and 38 there is a considerable spreading of the stress applied to the door and the pivot means lwill support a relatively large door weight without failure of the connection. Each bracket 34 also has integrally formed thereon at the outer corner a rolled knuckle 44 in the form of a tubular sleeve-like projection having a through opening 46 therein. As best shown in FIG. 3, the opposite ends of the through opening 46 are tapped or otherwise internally threaded while the center portion indicated at 48 remains unthreaded to form a vertical guide and bearing surface for the purpose to be des-cribed. When the pivots are assembled, identical decorative tips Sil are threaded into the bottom of the knuckle d4 of the upper pivot and in the top of the knuckle dfof the lower pivot to close the through opening 46 and for the purpose of rendering the assembly more attractive.

The lower pivot means 24 is provided with a pivot post 52 which is threaded into the lower end of the knuckle d4 and which has a pilot extension 54 which projects into the center bearing portion 43 of the kunckle. The lower end of the pivot post 52 is provided with a generally cup-shaped head 56 which is adapted to be engaged on a bushing 5% preferably formed of tough lowfrictional material such as nylon. rEhe bushing 58 is secured to a mounting plate @il by means of a rivet 62 extending through the center thereof. The mounting plate o@ may be attached to the floor 23 or other supporting surface by means of the screws 64. The bushing 58 is dimensioned to form a bearing surface within the head 56 of the pivot post S2 and also is provided with a flange 59 which supports the post 52 in thrust. When the door is being mounted the pivot post 52 is turned to adjust the extent that it projects from the kunckle 44 and thus raise or lower the bottom edge of the door as desired. This can be done either prior or subsequent to installation of the door. When the pivot post 52 is in adjusted position, it may be locked in adjusted position by turning the locking nut o6 until it abuts the lower surface of the knuckle 44.

Turning now to the upper pivot means 22, there is here utilized a plunger 7@ which is dimensioned to have a sliding lit with the center bearing portion 4S of the kunckle. The upper end of the plunger 7i? has a socketed head 72 similar to the head 56 of the post 52 previously described, and thus plunger 7@ may be engaged on an identical bushing 5S and plate di) which are attached to the ceiling 2.6 or other supporting surface above the door. The pin 74P is merely snapped onto the bushing 53 by retracting it manually while the door is being set in place and then releasing it when it is aligned with the bushing S. The plunger is biased upwardly into engagement with the bushing 58 by the spring '74 which is concealed by the decorative sleeve 76. In order to prevent turning of the plunger 70 within the knuckle 5d and thus insure that rotation will take place at the bushing 5d, the plunger 70 is provided with a small integral key 78 extending longitudinally of the pin for engagement in the separation or slot 39 in the kunckle 44 which normally occurs when the knuckle is formed. The key '78 may be of relatively small dimensions since only a minor rotational force is applied to the plunger 7b during normal usage.

When a door is to be mounted, utilizing the pivot means of the present invention, the brackets 34 are iirst secured to the door and V.the mounting plates nl) with attached bushings SS are then secured above and below the door on the ceiling or on the iloor, respectively, as shown in the specific embodiment, or to other suitable surfaces above and below the door. After the decorative tips 50 have been inserted and the pivot post 52 applied to the bottom bracket 34 and the plunger 7 (l to the upper bracket 34, the door can be mounted simply by placing the head of the pivot post 52 over the bottom bushing 58 and then retracting the upper plunger 76 following which the door is moved into position so as to align the plunger '70 with the upper bushing 58 whereupon the plunger 70 is released and the door is in fully assembled condition. As previously mentioned, the adjustment or settiny of the lower pivot post S2 may be accomplished before the door is installed or adjustment may be accomplished after installation has been completed.

It is to be noted that inasmuch as the parts have been made interchangeable, the same assembly may be used for either a lefthand or rightliand door by which is meant a dor pivoted on the lefthand edge or on the righthand edge as the case may be and regardless of the direction of pivoting movement of the door. For example, when the parts which have been assembled for use on a righthand door 'are to be reassembled for use on a lefthand door, the brackets 34 are merely inverted and the decorative tips 50 and plunger 70 and post 52 are removed and reinserted from the opposite ends of lthe knuckles. Since the brackets 34 are identical, any one can be used for either the top or bottom of the door. As a result the pivot mounting of thepresent invention may be economically fabricated and the inventory normally required is at a minimum. The pivot mounting may be quickly and easily installed'with a minimum of skill and instruction, and the adjustment of the height of the door is facilitated. The mounting means is attractive in appearance and forms a decorative mounting for the door. In addition, the pivot assembly permits the mounting of doors of thin cross section with'a minimumof connecting screws and the like, and atthe same time provides for a desirable stress distribution which avoids splitting or other failure of the door and mounting parts. The pivot means is simple in construction and yet provides an extremely rugged and durable mounting for the door and provides a minimum frictional resistance to pivoting movement of the door and 'a consequent minimum frictional wear.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that variations and modiiications within the skill of the art are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A pivot assembly for swinging doors comprising a pair of mounting brackets for attachment, respectively, adjacent the top and bottom corners of a door, each bracket comprising a pair of parallel spaced-apart plates for'engaging'opposite side faces ofa door and having a web for extension about the edge of the door integrally connected to the spaced-apart plates, each bracket having a knuckle formed thereon adjacent the web, each knuckle being internally threaded at opposite ends thereof, a supporting post having a recessed head and threadably engaged in one of the knuckles, a plunger having a reces-sed head and slidably mounted in the other knuckle, a spring biasing the plunger outwardly of the knuckle, and a pair of bearing members for attachment above and below the door for engaging in the recessed heads of the post and plunger, respectively.

2. A pivot assembly for swinging doors comprising a pair of mounting brackets for attachment, respectively, adjacent the top and bottom corners of a door, each bracket comprising a pair of parallel spaced-apart plates for engaging opposite side faces off a door and having a connecting web -for extension about the edge of the door, each bracket having a knuckle formed thereon adjacent the web, each knuckle having an internal bearing portion intermediate its ends and being internally threaded at both ends thereof, a supporting post having a recessed head and threadably engaged in the end of one knuckle, a plunger having a recessed head and slidably mounted in the bearing portion of the other knuckle and projecting outwardly from one end of the knuckle, a spring biasing the plunger outwardly of the knuckle, a decorative tip threadably engaged in the end of each knuckle opposite from the post and plunger, respectively, and a pair of bearing members ttor attachment above and below the door for engaging in the recessed heads of the post and plunger, respectively.

3. The pivot assembly set forth in claim 2 wherein the knuckles are formed with an internal longitudinal slot and the plunger is provided with a radial projection for engagement in the slot to prevent turning of the plunger.

4. In the combination comprising a door disposed in a vertical plane and horizontal sur-faces above and below the door, a pivot assembly comprising a first mounting bracket attached adjacent a top corner of the door at one edge thereof and a second mounting bracket attached adjacent the bottom corner of the door at said one edge, each mounting bracket comprising a pair of parallel spaced-'apart plates secured to opposite faces of the door and a web extending about said one edge of the door integrally connected to the spaced-apart plates, said brackets having aligned knuckles formed thereon adjacent the web, a supporting post having a recessed head and threadably engaged in the knuckle of the second mounting bracket so as to extend downwardly therefrom, a lbearing member mounted on the surface below the door and engaging in the recessed head of the post, a plunger having a recessed head and slidably engaged in the knuckle of the rst mounting bracket so as to extend upwardly therefrom, a spring biasing the plunger upwardly of the knuckle, and a bearing member mounted on the surface above the door and engaging in the recessed head of the plunger.

5. In the combination comprising a door disposed in a vertical plane and horizontal surfaces above and below the door, a pivot assembly comprising a first mounting bracket attached adjacent a top corner of the door at one side edge thereof and a second mounting bracket attached adjacent the bottom corner of the door at said one edge, each mounting bracket comprising a pair of parallel spaced-apart mounting plates secured to opposite faces of the door and a connecting web extending about said one edge of the door, each bracket having a projecting knuckle formed thereon adjacent the juncture of the web and one of the mounting plates, said knuckles being in alignment and being internally threaded at opposite ends thereof, a supporting post having a recessed head and threadably engaged in the lower end of the knuckle of the second mounting bracket so as to project down- Wardly therefrom, a decorative tip threadably engaged in the upper end of the knuckle of the second mounting bracket, a bearing member mounted on the surface below the door and engaged in the recessed head of the post, a plunger having a recessed head and slidably engaged in the knuckle of the first mounting bracket and projecting upwardly therefrom, a spring between the plunger and knuckle biasing the plunger upwardly, a decorative tip threadably engaged in the lower end of the knuckle of the rst mounting bracket, and a bearing member mounted on the surface above the door and engaging in the recessed head of the plunger.

6. A pivot assembly for swinging doors comprising a pair of mounting members for attachment, respectively, adjacent the top and bottom corners of a door, each mounting member being provided with a knuckle projecting therefrom, a supporting post having a recessed head and threadably engaged in the knuckle of one of the mounting members, a plunger having a recessed head and slidably mounted in the knuckle of the other mounting member, a spring biasing the plunger outwardly of the knuckle, and a pair of bearing members for attachment above and below the door for engaging in the recessed heads of the post and plunger, respectively, each of the bearing members comprising a mounting plate and a anged bushing of low friction material secured thereto, said flanged bushing having a portion extending within and engaging the recessed head and a portion engaging the end of the recessed head whereby the bushing provides a radial and thrust bearing support.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,547 Radler Dec. 9, 1890 842,668 Huey Jan. 29, 1907 1,125,177 Rixson Jan. 19, 1915 1,423,004 Moody July 18, 1922 2,609,069 McLaughlin Sept. 2, 1952 2,686,941 Patten Aug. 24, 1954 2,773,314 Gaui Dec. 11, 1956 2,923,036 Beyrle Feb. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 528,951 Belgium June 15, 1954 

1. A PIVOT ASSEMBLY FOR SWINGING DOORS COMPRISING A PAIR OF MOUNTING BRACKETS FOR ATTACHMENT, RESPECTIVELY, ADJACENT THE TOP AND BOTTOM CORNERS OF A DOOR, EACH BRACKET COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED-APART PLATES FOR ENGAGING OPPOSITE SIDE FACES OF A DOOR AND HAVING A WEB FOR EXTENSION ABOUT THE EDGE OF THE DOOR INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO THE SPACED-APART PLATES, EACH BRACKET HAVING A KNUCKLE FORMED THEREON ADJACENT THE WEB, EACH KNUCKLE BEING INTERNALLY THREADED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, A SUPPORTING POST HAVING A RECESSED HEAD AND THREADABLY ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE KNUCKLES, A PLUNGER HAVING A RECESSED HEAD AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE OTHER KNUCKLE, A SPRING BIASING THE PLUNGER OUTWARDLY OF THE KNUCKLE, 